Thursday, May 13, 2010

Cock Sparrer: Riot Squad

Once upon a time I had a back and forth with ex- Gang of Four member Dave Allen about my having written about the the band Cock Sparrer and Oi! music as related to the issue of racism (read the exchange here)... So let's get that whole thing out of the way, I find racism ugly, lame, dangerous, and uncouth and in writing about; Oi! and Cock Sparrer I am in no way endorsing or giving comfort to those who hold such points of view. I have always subscribed to the idea that in the words of comedian Steve White "racism is so stupid because there are so many reasons to hate people on an individual basis".

On to the music.

From Wiki;

Cock Sparrer are a punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London, England. Although they never enjoyed much commercial success, they are considered one of the most influential streetpunk bands, helping pave the way for the late-1970s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre. Their songs have been covered by many punk, Oi!, and hardcore bands.

Their name derives from their original name, Cock Sparrow,[1], a Cockney term of familiarity.

and this months crime tune-

"Riot Squad"

When we were at school I thought he had it sussedFighting the law with the rest of usSmoking, drinking, acting cool.('Til) they started treating him like a foolThen he stayed on his own for most of the timeDreaming dreams of a life of crimeIn and out of trouble, he cheated and liedBut who'd have thought he'd join the other side

[Chorus]He's in a riot squadThe wanna fight squadThe shoot on sight squadFor law and right

Down to Hendon with the boys in blueIt's amazing what a few weeks can doOut in the car, out on the streetSouth of the river on the frontline beat

[Chorus]

Cracking heads, it was all a gameA finger was pointed and he got the blameNow he's back where he started, he ain't got a poundQueing with the sorts he used to kick around.

So we have a kid from the streets, who becomes a cop, and then ends up taking the rap when the cops get caught doing something wrong. The song comes off like one of those 70s cop drama's set in the bankrupt rubble of NYC (or 70s London?) with enough of a hint of A Clockwork Orange to add a layer of social commentary. One aspect of that era in film and crime fiction of the time was the exploration of the line between the Police & Thieves, cops and robbers. Maybe the most interesting recent exploration of the theme was the UK version of the show Life on Mars.

All in all Riot Squad is a fast, up tempo street anthem with a bit of substance, it is exactly the kind of songs that made Cock Sparrer the cult band they are today. It is also one of the only songs that I have selected to write about for this project that I don't think would translate to another musical style.

Todd, I hear you, a few fools can often ruin it for everyone. If you haven't heard Cocksparrer I recommend checking out their Shock Troops album. It's an under rated gem that fits nicely next to The Clash in any music collection.

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"we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex... Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

About Me

Quote City

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."- attributed to Hunter S. Thompson

“I never knew there was a class system in America until I moved to Ann ArborMichigan. This town was populated – dominated might be a better word- by rich, spoiled college students. I can see how Liverpool gave us the Beatles, but I’ll never understand how Ann Arbor gave us Iggy and the Stooges.”-Dee Dee Ramone, Lobotomy: surviving the Ramones. P. 255

You know, every day I get out of bed and drag myself to the next cup of coffee. I take a sip and the caffeine kicks in, I can focus my eyes again, my brain starts to order the day. I'm up, I'm alive. I'm ready to rock. The time is coming when I wake up and decide I'm not getting out of bed. I'm not getting up for coffee or food or sex. If it comes to me, fine; if it won't, fine. No more expectations. The longer I live the less I know. I should know more. I should know that coffee's killing me. You're suspicious of your suspicions? I'm jealous, Kay. I'm so jealous. You still have the heart to have doubts? Me, I'm going to lock up a fourteen-year-old kid for what could be the rest of his natural life. I gotta do this; this is my job. This is the deal, this is the law, this is my day. I have no doubts or suspicions anymore. Heart has nothing to do with it anymore. Its all in the caffeine.